Monday, October 19, 2015

Experiencing so much joy!

A selfie after
a teaching appointment.

Julie and Hannah sent me those earrings this week.

19
October 2015

Dear
Family,

I
finished reading Our Search for Happiness by Elder Ballard this
morning. He wrote, "Many of our missionaries begin their missions thinking
they are going to repay Heavenly Father for His goodness toward them by serving
Him for 18 months or two years. But before long they learn an important eternal
truth: you can never do more for the Lord than He can do for you." How
true that statement is. I am experiencing so much joy. I am seeing all of the
goals I set for the mission being accomplished and all of the promises the Lord
made me through His servants being fulfilled. Perhaps I will write more about
those goals later but I want to tell you about my week.

We
thought that a new member didn't go to church last Sunday. His wife has been out
of town and promised to attend church there but he was going to attend in Los
Mares. We were disappointed and worried when he didn't show up but it turns out
that even though he went to visit in-laws he made an effort and found a chapel
in another sector. He took a picture to prove it and recorded his testimony on
his phone when he shared it in their sacrament meeting. He talked to the bishop
there, too. What an incredible convert. There was a confirmation in their ward
that Sunday and I can't help but think what a good example he is for that new
convert, attending church even when out of town because he wanted to renew his
covenants.

The
new young woman we are teaching is beyond amazing. On Tuesday in exchanges I
taught her with Hermana Uribe, from Ica, Peru. We taught Lesson 1 and invited her
to pray and ask God if Joseph Smith was a prophet. She said she already did,
that she has been praying through this whole process and that she already
believes. She also read the Book of Mormon we gave her last time. She had asked
how one reads the Book of Mormon and I responded that it's good to start from
the beginning to get the context of the stories but that she could also read by
topic using the GEE. (I love the Spanish index because it has definitions like
True to the Faith. It's different than the English index.) She had looked up
topics like prayer and marked lots of verses she liked and she shared Alma
37:37 with us. Her copy is full of colorful Post-it tabs and it is obvious how
much she is treasuring up the word of God.

She
invited her family to her baptism next Sunday. They aren't as supportive as she
would like but it sounds like her parents will go. She isn't sure about her
brother. When things get tough at home she reads the scriptures.

She
came to church again and got to know Cata Roman. Cata knows how to include
someone and make them feel comfortable and not pressured because she was
inactive when I arrived in the ward but comes from a really active family. She didn't
see the need for the church but always told her family that when she came back
it would be for good and she would be strong. It's true. She is amazing. She
even came to the Gospel Principles class and sat with our investigator in
Relief Society. She was friendly and invited her to the YSA family home evening.
I'm learning how to be a member missionary while observing here. It's simpler
than we often think. Sit by someone. Invite them to come back. That's it!
Sometimes that's all people need but when it doesn't happen it's so
uncomfortable.

I'm
also learning about leadership, delegating, and callings. I feel privileged to
be a missionary and have the opportunity to see many wards and participate in
ward councils. We're a little bit worried about this baptismal service coming
up because we don't have a ward mission leader. Leo Roman, Cata's older
brother, got married and moved out and we're still waiting for them to call
someone, but in the meantime we found our new investigator and I don't think
she's going to wait to be baptized. She's ready.

Yesterday
we went to LuLu's house with her and taught Chastity and the Word of Wisdom.
Basically we pulled out the pamphlets and she taught us. She already heard
about these commandments and told us that she has already gone without tea for
two days.

She
found out yesterday that I am finishing the mission in four weeks. I told her
and I hope she knows what a miracle she is in our lives and that I want to keep
in touch with her forever. It's kind of fun to teach someone who is a peer. I
feel like I already knew her. She's even studying something I'm interested in
studying in college. We are learning over and over with her that coincidences
absolutely don't exist.

Some
interesting things about Chile:

There
are no rain gutters. I dread the rain because it all pools up in the street and
has nowhere to go.

We
ate lasagna with corn this week. Chile also has sandwiches and completos with
corn. And corn pie. This country is really a VanCott place. No wonder so many
of us are called here. Maybe Parley P. Pratt brought the corn to Chile or maybe
he brought recipes back to his cousin John VanCott. Either way, Lauren and I are
going to be making some pastel de choclo for Thanksgiving, right? Pastel de
papas es mejor, pero hay que tener el choclo, ¿no?